KENDRAPARA: The sight of Sridhar Behera staring blank at the idols disfigured by the recent flood is bound to evoke empathy. A 45-year-old artisan from Narasinghpur village, 25 km from Kendrapara town, Behera, along with at least 300 artisans have incurred heavy financial losses after their creations were merged in the flood, barely 20 days before Dusshera. The 300 artisans of Narasinghpur, Ramachandrapur, Patalipanka, Tikhiri, Amiapala and Aakhua villages are cursing their fate now. Behera claims to have lost at least 50 incomplete Durga idols he had carved on order from the puja committees of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, last week. The livelihood of the artisans depends on the sale of idols they design round-the-year. With the nature’s fury destroying the idols, the artisans are now desperate for a succour.“I have lost 20 Durga idols apart from 300 terracotta images of elephants, turtles and horses worth ` 2 lakh. This is the first time we incurred losses so heavily,” said Sunil Behera of Parakula village. “I had borrowed from the banks and a few private parties,” he rued. In addition, the artisans are forced to work overtime to fulfil their commitment to the puja committees as they had already accepted advance payments. “The Government provided us relief items like flattened rice and drinking water. But we need financial help to make the idols,” said Nilamani Behera.
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